Crossing Bridges
by gb1076
Summary: A story about falling in love when you least expect it and the heartache it can bring.
1. Chapter 1

As Damon Salvatore drove through the little town of Mystic Falls in his 69' light blue convertible Camaro, he couldn't help but marvel at the picturesque scenery before him. It looked like something straight from a post card with its tall trees and freshly cut green lawns. Back in college whenever Tyler brought up his hometown, it was always something negative like how boring it was and how nothing exciting _ever_ happened here.

But to Damon who'd lived in the city all of his life, this seemed like the perfect place to grow up as a kid. And now look at Tyler, he was about to be married and someday soon raise a family of his very own in the same place he once seemly despised.

It was ironic, Damon thought with a slow smile spreading across his lips. But that was life for you.

Suddenly, while crossing over Wickery bridge, Damon's phone beeped and then it went dead. "No!" Snatching up the expensive device in his hand, Damon couldn't believe he'd just lost cell phone signal and with it the GPS app he was using to find Tyler's house.

"Shit!" This could not be happening. Now he was fucking screwed and not in a good way. But there was no need of getting upset about the situation because Mystic Falls was a small town, exactly how lost could he really be when he actually thought about it? So Damon continued to drive over the bridge and for about a mile down the road there was nothing but open space with farm houses spread out here and there from a distance.

It wasn't everyday that he got a chance to see this part of Virginia, having lived most of his life in Washington D.C.,so Damon decided to enjoy the drive. He had the top down on his convertible and it was a gorgeous summer day outside and his best buddy was getting married in a few days and he was the best man, so what did he have to complain about?

Life was good.

Deciding to stop when he spotted the little store tucked a few feet away from off the road, Damon figured he'd ask for directions.

A little bell rung from above the door when he entered inside and his hot skin immediately felt the cooling effects of the air-conditioning. His blue eyes scanned his surroundings before making his way towards the counter when this tiny girl stepped in front of him, beating him to the counter, while drinking a mountain dew straight from the bottle.

"That soda's not paid for yet, Bonnie Bennett...so I'd appreciate you not opening it until it is."

Damon watched as the girl continued to drink the soda almost defiantly before placing it down to the counter along with a king-size snickers bar.

"It's hot outside and I was thirsty."

The cashier from behind the counter rolled her eyes before ringing up the purchase. "Well if you wore shoes like a normal person then you wouldn't get so hot."

Damon looked down and sure enough, she was barefoot.

"What does that have to do with anything?" He heard her ask, momentarily distracted by gorgeous brown legs and a shapely backside in cut-off shorts.

It wasn't everyday that he saw that kind of view either because the women in D.C. were ultra conservative.

 _At least in public._ But behind closed doors was another story.

"Bonnie, don't you know anything?" The woman said in exasperation. "The feet conducts heat, so if you walk around barefooted all day, you're gonna get hot!"

Shaking her head, Bonnie reach inside her pocket, pulling out exact change for the soda and candy bar, handing the money to the cashier.

"It's ninety degrees outside, Patty. So shoes or no shoes, I'd still be hot."

From where he was standing, Damon saw no lies in that statement because she was definitely hot alright, he thought to himself.

 _At least from the back._

He hadn't seen her face yet.

Clearly Bonnie had not noticed Damon standing there because when she turned to leave, she bumped right into him and a startled light gasp of surprise escape from her lips as hazel-green eyes crashed upon electric blue.

Bonnie's eyes widened prettily and not because he was a new face in town but because he was remarkably handsome.

Raven hair, piercing eyes.

She took a step back, swallowing hard. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

Damon flashed a sexy grin. He was just like his daddy. A sucker for a pretty face. He couldn't help himself. It was in his genes.

"No harm done, little lady. No harm at all."

Bonnie nodded and proceeded to walk past him and Damon followed her progression towards the exit, watching from the store window when she stopped to admire his car.

Patty cleared her throat. A little put out by Damon's behavior towards Bonnie. She believed that all people were created equal, however what she didn't believe in was the mixing of races.

She firmly believed that people should stick with their own kind.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Damon reluctantly gave the women behind the counter his attention. Patty was it?

"Yeah, hi. Sorry about that." He said scratching the back of his neck in slight embarrassment.

He walked up to the counter. "I'm from out of town..."

Patty scoffed interrupting him. "No kidding."

Damon ignored the sarcasm because he needed her help. "Yeah. I need directions. I'm trying to find the Lockwood estate."

"Well darling, you're on the wrong side of town. You drove too far. The Lockwoods live across the bridge."

Shit, Damon cursed himself inwardly. "So when I cross the bridge...

Again Patty interrupted him. "You're going to make that left on Cambridge then the right on Mulholland and you won't be able to miss that great big old house. It's a real beauty." Patty looked Damon up and down speculatively. "The Lockwoods are the richest family in town...you kin or something?" She asked nosily.

Having gotten what he needed from Patty, Damon totally dismissed her. "No." He answered and walked out of the store.

He saw Bonnie Bennett walking up the road eating her snickers bar.

Too bad, Damon thought shaking his head.

Had she been walking in the direction where he was going, he would have gladly offered her a ride.

If all the women in town looked like her, then he was in big trouble.

* * *

Like any other privileged rich white male, Tyler Lockwood was an entitled asshole. He was given everything he ever wanted from the moment he was born and was never told the word no a day in his life. And in a few days, he would be marrying Caroline Forbes. She was smart and beautiful, everything a man could want in a woman. Too bad she wasn't the woman that Tyler wanted. But that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things because he still had to marry her.

It was what his father wanted and therefore he had to do it or otherwise be cut off financially. It was a hard pill to swallow which was why for days now leading up to the wedding he was drinking himself into a stupor.

It made the pill go down much easier.

Because the girl that Tyler wanted, he could never have. Not only was she from the wrong side of the tracks, but she was also black, which was a double strike against her in his father's book.

No, Bonnie Bennett just wouldn't do. His father would disowned him in a heartbeat.

"Tyler dear, Damon's here!" Carol Lockwood called from behind him.

Sitting outside by the pool gripping a glass of scotch, Tyler killed the the last of its contents in one big swallow and stood to his feet.

"Salvatore, you made it!"

Having a legitimate reason to pry his arm from Tyler's mom without seeming rude, Damon gladly broke away from the woman's side to go say hello to his friend.

Tyler's mom was an old cougar. Those were the worst ones.

The two friends embraced in a bro hug. "Of course I made it, you think I'd miss out on seeing you tie the knot...no way man!"

Tyler chuckled.

"You boys hungry?"

Tyler sighed. "No mother. Damon and I are going to catch up for a while, okay. Maybe later."

"Well okay...you two be good now."

Tyler shook his head, embarrassed. "I swear, she still thinks I'm a kid. It's crazy. I'll be thirty in two years!"

Damon laughed.

"Come on man, have a seat and let me get you situated right."

Taking the proffered seat, Damon watched as his friend picked up a bottle of scotch.

"Whoa bruh, don't you think its a little early in the day for that?" Damon asked, frowning slightly.

"Not for me."

"Well I'll pass." Damon said, shaking his head.

Tyler shrugged. "I guess that means more for me then."

Damon didn't say anything.

* * *

Having had a much needed sugar break, Bonnie was now back at the auto-shop finishing up the brakes on a Toyota. Once done with that, she had to rotate the tires on Mrs. Thomas' Buick and then do an oil change on a pickup truck.

After that, she could go home and take a much needed shower. It was hot outside today.

Besides, Emily wanted to go out tonight and take her mind off of her breakup with Marcel, so Bonnie couldn't bail on her, even though that's exactly what she wanted to do.

But that wasn't the type of friend Bonnie was, Emily needed her, so she'd take one for the team tonight and try to have fun.

* * *

When Tyler suggested that they all go to Lucky's bar, only Matt Donovan knew the real reason why his friend wanted to go there and it wasn't to have a drink. He was hoping that Bonnie was there tonight. Having been Tyler's friend since childhood, Matt knew of his obsession with the girl and therefore he opted out of going to the bar, making up an excuse and he went home.

So that left Damon and Logan, Tyler's college buddies who had no idea what they were getting themselves into as the three of them drove across Wickery bridge in Damon's Camaro.

Tyler sat shot-gun with a can of Budweiser in his hand. "Didn't I tell you that there was nothing to do in this fucking town."

"Then why are you still here, Lockwood? If you hate this place so much. Leave it, go!"

"Salvatore, you just don't understand man."

Damon dropped the subject when Tyler downed the entire can of beer in one gulp, besides they'd arrived at the bar.

As soon as Tyler stepped inside, his brown eyes immediately went in search of Bonnie's face and just when he thought that she wasn't there a guy moved from his line of vision and he spotted her sitting at the bar with Emily.

"Hey Lockwood, you gonna stand there all night?" Logan asked, spotting a table a few feet away and heading towards it.

Damon followed. "Yeah, it was your idea to come here. So let's order some drinks."

Tyler reluctantly dragged his gaze away from Bonnie and took a seat at the table, biding his time.

* * *

Had Bonnie known Tyler was there, she would have left the bar immediately, but because she was trying to be a sympathetic ear to her best friend, she drowned out everything and everyone around her and focused solely on Emily.

"Bonnie, I loved him so much... I mean I swallowed his fucking cum and everything and he still dumped me. What did I do wrong?" Emily cried.

Bonnie leaned closer to her friend, wiping the tears from her pretty caramel face. "Hey, you did nothing wrong. You hear me. It was him. He's the one who's fucked up, not you!"

Hearing Bonnie cuss like that made Emily smile in spite of her tears.

When Bonnie saw the tiny smile appear on Emily's face, she saw that as her opening. "Sweetie, I really need to pee. Do you think you'll be alright for a few minutes while I go to restroom?"

Emily's brown eyes widened in alarm. "Oh my god, Bonnie...why didn't you say something?! Go pee girl, jeez!"

Not having to be told twice, Bonnie hopped off the bar stool and made her way to the ladies restroom.

Seeing his chance, Tyler got up from his seat as well.

"Hey, where you going?" Logan asked.

"To take a piss. I'll be back."

* * *

Bonnie felt a hundred times better after having relieved herself. Now she could focus all of her energy on Emily.

Tearing off two squares of tissue paper to protect her fingers from the germ infested handle, she flushed the toilet and then opened the stall door.

And there stood Tyler Lockwood, blocking her way. "Hey baby, it's so good to see you."

Bonnie froze like a deer in headlights. Her fear was so real that an animal could have smelt it.

Taking advantage of her temporary paralysis, Tyler entered the stall with her, locking the door behind him.

And just like that, she was trapped. It was her worst nightmare come true.

"Gawd, I've missed you, Little Bit.." His mouth covered hers and it made her want to vomit.

Not again, Bonnie begged inside of her head.

And like a tidal wave of emotions, everything came rushing back to her in mental flashes.

Tyler smiling at her. Telling her how pretty she was and how special he made her feel because no one had ever paid attention to her like that before. He kissed her lips, shocking her because he was so much older than her and it just felt wrong. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her. He was so much stronger than her, forcing her down to the ground, where he stole her innocence.

Feeling his hand fumbling underneath her skirt, snapped Bonnie out of her state of shock.

She was no longer that defenseless teenage girl that Tyler Lockwood had took advantage of long ago.

Bonnie kneed him in the balls as hard as she could, making him crumble to the floor in a cry of pure agony while grabbing his crotch.

"If you ever come near me again, I'll kill you." She seethed.

Opening the stall door, she stepped over his body.

"I-I love you Bonnie." She heard him say from the floor.

"You're sick...stay away from me!"

Bonnie had to get out of that place before she lost her mind. Going back to the bar, she picked up her purse.

"Let's go."

Emily looked up in confusion, not knowing what was happening. "What? Why?"

"Tyler's here."

Nothing else needed to be said after that, Emily grabbed her stuff and the two friends left the bar.

Before exiting the establishment, hazel-green eyes once again crashed upon electric blue.


	2. Chapter 2

Every now and then when the loneliness got to be too much to bear, Bonnie sometimes thought about selling her childhood home and the business and moving far away from Mystic Falls because other than the auto-shop, there was nothing really holding her there.

Yeah, there was Emily. But Emily had her own life as a single mother trying to raise two kids. And even though at times she struggled, Bonnie still found herself being somewhat envious of her best friend's life because she had what Bonnie longed for.

A family.

Emily's parents and little brother lived just two miles away from her and she saw them everyday. So whenever Emily would always complain about her mother prying into her personal life or her father telling her how to raise her two boys or her brother being a nuisance, Bonnie wanted to tell her to be grateful for them because to still have them in her life was a blessing.

But Bonnie couldn't tell Emily that without revealing how utterly alone she felt.

It's been two years since her father died and Bonnie still found herself grieving the loss of him. He was the only family that she had and he raised her by himself, never remarrying after her mother died from complications of Lupus when Bonnie was just ten years old. So he was all that she knew, all she had and because she was his only child, he taught her everything he knew, including working on cars and when he died, Bonnie was left everything he owned, the house, his truck and the auto shop he'd built with his own hands.

Maybe that was the reason why Bonnie could never bring herself to sell it because her father had literally put his blood, sweat and tears into that place.

And it was because of her father that Bonnie never told anyone other than Emily about the rape.

Knowing her father the way she did, Bonnie knew that he'd want justice for what Tyler did to her and he'd stop at nothing until they got it, but the Lockwoods were the richest family in town. They yielded a lot of power and influence and they had the ability to ruin her father if they chose to and even at sixteen years old Bonnie was wise enough to know that. So she kept quiet about the whole incident, keeping her mouth shut for longest time. Suffering in silence until it became too much to hold inside. She had to tell someone or it would eat her alive. About three years after it happened, Bonnie broke down one night and told Emily.

It was so hard, trying to act normal after it happened. Having to fake being sick to her father so he'd let her stay home from school because it hurt too much to walk. She'd been a virgin, so she was sore for days afterward. She felt so disgusting and dirty, no matter how many showers she took, she just couldn't get clean. In the tiniest of ways, her life had changed so much. Before the rape, Bonnie had the biggest crush on Luca Martin, a boy in her class and about two weeks after it happened, he asked her out on a date. It just came out of the blue and it made Bonnie wonder if maybe she was giving off some sort of vibe that she wasn't a virgin anymore and that everyone knew. Of course no one did, but it made her withdraw from her peers. She stopped going to school functions. She didn't even attend junior prom.

Tyler Lockwood had no clue of the damage he'd done to her.

There was always the fear of running into him. Mystic Falls was such a small town. But because Bonnie was so much younger than Tyler and him being rich, and she working class, the two didn't exactly run in the same circles. Only at town events could there ever be a possibility of that happening which was why Bonnie made it a appoint to not attend any of them.

But a few weeks after the rape, Bonnie stopped by the shop after school to find Tyler chatting it up with her father about football while her dad worked on his car. Bonnie didn't know what to do. The man who raped her was sitting there in her father's shop. It was so surreal. And when he saw her standing there, he actually spoke to her. It was such a normal, casual greeting like the night in the woods never happened. That he didn't violate her in the worse way imaginable. It was shocking. The audacity he had to come there. Did he not have any shame for what he did to her? What he took from her?

How dare he show his face?!

It was maddening the amount of rage that Bonnie felt in that moment. But in the same breath, she felt so helpless. Because Tyler came there because he knew he could. He knew that there would be no repercussions for his actions. That she was a nobody and no one would care.

It wouldn't be the last time Tyler sought out Bonnie.

* * *

While Tyler was in bed nursing a severe hangover along with caring for his black and blue balls after having been kneed in the nuts by Bonnie, Matt took it upon himself to give Damon and Logan a little taste of what Mystic Falls had to offer in way of entertainment.

He took them to The Dooms, it was their version of motocross.

Damon had never seen anything like it in his life. There was about twenty guys dressed in protective gear and helmets riding dirt bikes at top speed with each one vying to be the first one to reach the finish line.

It was very exciting to watch, especially with all the people on the sidelines cheering the bikers on as they raced through the lengthy circular dirt track.

When it came down to the last lap around the track, the people who were sitting down stood to their feet as four of the riders were neck and neck with 50 feet left to go to the finish line when all of a sudden two of the bikers crashed into each other being thrown to the ground.

And the crowd went wild when it was just the remaining two speeding toward the finish line.

"Go Kol, you got it man...you got it!"

"Come on Bonnie, you can do it...black girl magic!"

Damon did a double take, clearly shocked. "Bonnie?"

"Yeah Bonnie Bennett?" Matt answered. "She's been riding dirt bikes since she was a kid. She's sort of a tomboy."

And Damon watched in utter fascination as that _tomboy_ won the race.

* * *

It seemed that everyone who was at The Dooms had the same idea of going to the Mystic Grill for dinner, including Bonnie and that girl who was screaming at the top of her lungs _black girl magic.  
_

Motioning to a waitress, Damon ordered a bottle of champagne and had it sent over to their table.

Only being able to see the exchange between Bonnie and the waitress and not hear what was being said, Damon waited, watching when the waitress finally pointed over to him.

Hazel-green eyes crashed upon electric blue before disengaging.

Damon knew he'd been denied when the waitress turned away from the table still carrying the champagne on the tray.

"She doesn't take gifts from strangers." The waitress told him.

It wasn't everyday that Damon Salvatore got shut down by a woman.

"Right." He said. "Can you bring me my check, please?"

"Sure, no problem...but what about the champagne?"

"Consider it a tip." He told her.

* * *

Emily was floored, her mouth literally gaping open. Things like that only happened on television, not in Mystic Falls at the Mystic Grill and definitely not to her best friend!

"Bonnie, are you crazy? He's fucking gorgeous! Why didn't you accept the champagne? He was only congratulating you on your win!"

"I don't care. I don't know him...and neither do you. Besides, looks aren't everything." She said un-bothered, picking up the menu even though she already knew what she wanted to order.

"Not every guy is a Tyler Lockwood, Bonnie." Emily said as gently as possible. "Believe it or not, there are some good ones out there."

"Are you ladies ready to order?" Asked the waitress.

* * *

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to drive his 69' Camaro to Mystic Falls because his baby wasn't used to lengthy road trips and now she was beginning to stall.

Tyler's mother suggested that Damon take the car over to Rudy's auto-shop.

So he did that afternoon.

Parking his car, Damon got out and had a look around the place.

"Can I help you?" A male voice asked.

Damon turned. Clearly he wasn't the mechanic because the older man had to be seventy tops.

"Um, yeah. I need for Rudy to have a look at my car. Something's wrong with it...it's stalling for some reason."

The old man frowned and then taking off his cap, he scratched his gray nappy head. "Well, I'm sorry to tell you this mister, but Rudy's been dead for two years now."

"Come again?" Damon asked slowly. Trying to decide if the old guy was maybe senile. So he asked a follow up question. "Sir, if Rudy is dead...then who is running the shop?"

"That will be me." Bonnie said, walking up to the two males.

Bonnie almost smiled at the shocked look on Damon's face. It really did tickle her more than she cared to admit.

Stunned into complete silence, Damon watched as Bonnie handed the old man a cold beer with one hand while still carrying her mountain dew and snickers bar in the other.

"Thanks for watching the shop while I walked to the store, Grady."

"No problem, Miss Bonnie. Any time." He said with his eyes on the beer bottle, licking his lips in anticipation. Grady could already taste it in his mouth.

As he walked away, Bonnie then turned her attention back to Damon. "How can I help you?"

"You're the mechanic?"

"Yes...as well as the owner of this fine establishment. So again, I ask, how can I help you?"

Scratching the back of his neck, Damon proceeded to explain the problem. "Yeah, right. Um, something's wrong with my car." He said, walking towards the vehicle.

Bonnie followed.

"It's stalling." He continued.

Placing the mountain dew and her unopened snickers bar on the ground, Bonnie opened the car door, sliding behind the wheel. She cranked it up.

Again she was barefoot, wearing cut-off shorts.

Popping the hood, she got out. "Let's have a look see."

The car was a work of art, both the body and underneath its hood. It was simply beautiful. Her father would have drooled over it.

"Who's work is this?" She asked unable to drag her eyes away.

"Excuse me?"

"Who restored the car?"

Damon's first thought was to lie and say he did it himself because he could tell that Bonnie was really impressed. But he decided to go with the truth.

"Some guy in Atlanta who specializes in retro muscle cars."

"Jimmy Thornton." Said Bonnie.

Well damn, thought Damon. "Yeah, I think that's his name. He also restored a 1963' Porsche 356 Karmann coupe for my father."

"Oh yeah, what color?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Red."

"Sweet." She said, lowering the hood. "Well good news, there's nothing major wrong with your car, it just needs a tune-up that's all, but I need to drive it first, to see how she rides.

"No fucking way." Was Damon's automatic response, totally forgetting about seeing Bonnie handle a dirt bike just the day before.

"Excuse you?"

"Look, I don't let anyone drive my car."

Bonnie chuckled lowly, shaking her head. Typical, she thought. "Fine. Tilly and Sons auto-shop is two towns away. You have a good day now." She said, walking around him to grab her snack.

Fuck! Damon Salvatore did not like being stuck between a rock and a hard place. But he had no choice.

"Wait."

Pausing, she turned her head. "Yes."

"Fine, you can drive my car."

Was this guy serious? The nerve. "Hold up, why are you sounding like you're doing _me_ a favor?"

Damon blinked a second, like she should already know the answer to that. "Because I am." He was teasing/flirting with her.

But Bonnie didn't take it that way. "Wow." She uttered in disbelief, turning to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"There are two things in this life I don't suffer, fools and entitled rich white boys. You have a good day now."

For some reason Damon got the impression that _You have a good day now_ was Bonnie's nice way of saying _Fuck off_.

Shit! Why did he keep striking out with this girl?

"Hey wait, I was just joking...I didn't mean anything by it. Just like with the champagne, there were no strings attached. I saw you race and it was impressive and I wanted to congratulate you. That's all."

Bonnie stared at him for a long moment and he didn't look away, staring right back at her. She sighed softly. "Fine. I'll fix your car, just let me go get my shoes."

Feeling like he'd just won the fucking jackpot, Damon's good mood returned. "It's nice to know you own a pair." He teased with a sly grin on his lips.

Knowing he was teasing her now, she took it good naturedly. "Ha, ha. Very funny...I'll be back in a second." Heading towards the shop, but then she stopped walking turning back to him. "Wait, I don't even know your name."

He chuckled. "It's Damon...Damon Salvatore."

"Well _Damon_ , my name is Bonnie Bennett." .

"It's nice to meet you Bonnie." He said and it was sincere, she could hear it in his voice.

After a moment, she replied. "You too."

Damon smiled. "See. Just that quick, we're no longer strangers."


	3. Chapter 3

Life was all about the unexpected.

It came with various twists and turns that directed one on a path much different from the one that was chosen.

Like with Damon Salvatore who never once thought he'd end up living in a small town like Mystic Falls.

But when the opportunity presented itself for him to start his own law practice, Damon couldn't let it pass him by because it was something he always wanted.

Being the practical young man he was, he assumed it would happen much later in his life, not at twenty-eight years old.

It was too perfect of an opportunity and the timing was right because the firm where he worked was undergoing a change in partners and Damon wanted out before things got ugly and turned into a shit show.

He knew he was making the right decision because everything just fell into place so quickly.

Within weeks of returning home from Tyler's wedding, he handed in his resignation, packed up his condo and said goodbye to his family.

Because most of Damon's savings went into buying the building for his office and he flat out refused any kind of help from his wealthy parents, he was currently renting a space at a boardinghouse on the not so rich side of town, across Wickery bridge.

But Damon didn't mind his new living arrangements because so far there was nothing about the town that he didn't like.

It was quiet. The people were genuinely friendly. And more importantly, it was miles away from the rat race that was Washington D.C.

What more could he want?

* * *

Sitting at one of the tables in the back of Mai's diner, Damon enjoyed his breakfast.

They served the best food. It was that down home cooking that only southern grandmothers knew how to do.

The restaurant was a lifesaver because Damon didn't know how to cook.

He ate breakfast and dinner there, opting for a sandwich from home for lunch to save some money. His breakfast today was a slice of country fried ham with a side of cheese grits and a toast slathered with butter and strawberry jam.

He was just about to signal the waitress for a refill of black coffee when he happen to glance out the window just as a very familiar blue pickup truck pulled into a parking spot right in front of the restaurant.

Damon stopped eating and watched as Bonnie Bennett got out of her truck.

His brows raised in surprise when he got a good look at what she was wearing because for once she wasn't in a pair of shorts and barefoot.

Instead she was dressed to the nines in a fitted black pants suit with a sheer white blouse peeking out from underneath her blazer and she had on black pumps, looking nothing like the simple small town girl he'd become accustomed to seeing.

Not once did his eyes leave her person as she made her way into the diner.

With his breakfast now forgotten and growing cold with every second that went by, Damon's blue eyes remained fixed on Bonnie as she sat up front at the counter and ordered breakfast.

He listened in closely as she made small talk with the waitress behind the counter while she waited.

After a few minutes her green eyes slowly swept around the diner, seeing who all was there and when they finally landed on him...staring at her, her whole demeanor changed. Damon saw it happen. It was immediate.

Gone was the relaxed air about her that was there mere seconds ago before his presence became known.

But then with the turn of her pretty head, he was thoroughly dismissed.

The air between them was so frosty that if Damon were to blow out his breath, he would be able to see it.

It was a huge mistake on her part though because Damon had a petty side to him.

Clearing his throat, Damon held up his cup. "Can I please get a refill Nora?"

The young waitress nodded her head and grabbed the pot of black coffee.

His eyes then went back to Bonnie who was now sitting face forward with her back ramrod straight.

"You know Ms. Bennett, there's really no reason for you to be so rude this early in the day. Perhaps you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, is that it?"

Nora's eyes widened in shock at Damon's audacity and then she looked back at Bonnie who acted as though she hadn't heard him address her.

Remembering she had a job to do, Nora came from around the counter and went to Damon's table to refill his cup.

"I know for a fact that there's no traffic in this town, so you couldn't possibly be pissed because someone cut you off at the light and then gave you the middle finger." He continued unfazed by her silence and just kept talking.

Nora bit her lip to keep from chuckling.

But an older man eating at the counter a few seats down from Bonnie snickered in amusement.

"So what's the problem? Come on, get it off your chest. I'm a really good listener."

Bonnie remained unresponsive.

But inside she was really agitated by the disruption of her morning because her plan was to eat breakfast at the diner before driving to Richmond to handle some business there. "Nora, I think I'm gonna take my food to go please."

"Alright just give me a quick second." The waitress responded replacing the pot before going to get the order.

"Don't leave on my account." Damon told her.

Bonnie's jaw tensed at his words. Of course he didn't see this, but Nora did as she took the food from the plate and transferred it to a to-go container before placing it in a bag.

Damon finally looked away, glancing out the window. He found himself seriously bothered by how Bonnie acted towards him.

He thought she'd warmed up to him after fixing his car, but he was wrong. She was just being cordial at the time he realized, for the sake of her business.

Like what the hell did he do to make her not like him so much? He had absolutely zero clue.

"Here you go Bon." Nora said, handing her the bag. "It's hot now, so be careful."

"I got it. Thanks Nora, have a good day okay."

"You too."

Not being able to help himself, Damon called out to her one last time. "Bye Bon, see ya later!"

Again, no reaction from her whatsoever.

Damon's eyes followed her progression to the truck and didn't let up.

Not once did she make eye contact with him. Not even a hateful glare in his direction.

It was like he didn't exist to her.

"Cut you losses, sonny boy. She's not into guys." Said the man at the counter.

That grabbed Damon's attention. "Excuse me?"

The man stopped eating, placing down his fork to turn his head to Damon. "She likes girls."

Nora gasped. "Silas! You know that's not true!"

He gave her a pointed look. "Have you ever seen Bonnie Bennett with a guy? Or heard tale of her dating anyone? Think about it Nora. You went to school with her. Did she have a sweetheart?"

That gave Nora pause because now that she was thinking about it, she could honestly say she never saw Bonnie hook up with any boy at their high school or for that matter any boy from a neighboring town.

Well damn, she thought. Maybe Bonnie was gay.

Silas nodded his head in affirmation when she couldn't answer one question. "Like I said, she one of them lesbians like on TV." He went back to eating his breakfast very satisfied with himself.

No longer interested in his food, Damon pulled out some money to pay for the meal.

* * *

Like every Friday night in Mystic Falls, Bonnie and Emily found themselves at Lucky's having a few beers.

But tonight, Bonnie was drinking alone at the bar because Emily was on the dance floor grinding her ass into some trucker who was passing through town, making a complete fool of herself.

Bonnier hated when slutty Emily came out to play.

It only happened when she had too much to drink which wasn't often. Thank goodness!

But her friend was in rare form tonight and she felt like she should stop her before things went too far because it literally looked like the two were fucking on the dance floor.

When Bonnie realized that she wasn't the only one watching Emily, she decided to intervene because Mystic Falls was a small town and gossip spread like wildfire.

Bonnie knew tomorrow when Emily was sober she'd regret her actions especially if word got around to her family.

Emily's father was the pastor of their church and at twenty-three she was already the mother of two children from two different men and never married.

So she caused her parents enough grief over the years. The didn't need any more.

Bonnie slide off the bar stool to go get her friend.

"Hey Em, it's getting late. We should go."

"Then go grandma!" She laughed drunkenly. "But I'm staying right here."

"No you're not, so stop acting like an asshole and come on!" Bonnie yelled, grabbing her arm so they could leave.

But Emily wasn't having it because it had been a while since a man showed interest in her and she was basking in the attention.

Not having been fucked since breaking up with Marcel, her body was craving some good dick and she was going to get it tonight.

"What the hell Bonnie?! Let go of my fucking arm! What's your problem?!" .

Bonnie ran a frustrated hand through her hair and screamed, "You are! I can't handle you being reckless tonight Emily...I got too much shit going on in my own life to have to worry about you too!"

Emily laughed scornfully at her. "Are you kidding me, what life Bonnie?! You don't fucking have one! For god sake, you're twenty-two years old! LIVE A LITTLE. Enjoy being young! Have fun!"

"So this is fun to you, having some stranger grind his dick up against your ass?!"

"Yeah it is and I'm loving it! Maybe if you had a dick grinding into your ass every once in a while Bonnie, you wouldn't be so fucking uptight all the damn time! That's your motherfucking problem right there, it's not with me! You're brave in every other area of your life, but when it comes to being with a man, you're chicken shit! You go running scared every time someone shows the slightest interest in you, but you want to stand there and judge me! Girl bye! Get the fuck out of here with that shit!"

Bonnie couldn't move to save her life. She knew Emily was drunk and come tomorrow she wouldn't remember anything that happened tonight, but that didn't stop the hurt her words caused.

But no matter how nasty Emily got, Bonnie wouldn't leave her alone with this man because is something were to happen she would never forgive herself.

So Bonnie gave her best friend a stern ultimatum. "Either you come with me now and I take you home or I can call your father to come get you. You decide."

There was complete silence as the two best friends stared at each other and Bonnie saw Emily sober somewhat at the mention of her father.

Emily scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Fine, whatever. Fuck it. You got my head hurting anyway with all of this back and forth bullshit, so let's go. I need to lay down."

Bonnie went to the bar to grab their stuff while Emily said goodbye to her very disappointed dance partner.

* * *

The two friends drove home in silence.

Within ten minutes Bonnie was pulling up into Emily's driveway.

"Bonnie, I meant what I said tonight. You're the bravest person I know...that's why you can't allow what Tyler did to you, stop you from living your life to the fullest. And that's what it's doing. It's like your life is on pause or some shit. Don't you ever want to experience love? To know what it's like to be with a man who cares about you? Because I want that for you. Out of everyone, you especially deserve to be happy."

A tear slipped down Bonnie's cheek.

Emily leaned over the front seat to hug her neck. "You know I love you right?"

Bonnie sighed softly. "Yeah I know."

"You're my best friend...my sister from another mister."

Bonnie smiled in spite of herself.

"We've been through so much together that sometimes I feel like we're soulmates. That we were meant to be together. Friends can be soulmates too, right?" Emily asked softly with her head now laying on Bonnie's shoulder.

"I guess Em...I really don't know."

"Well I believe so because no one knows me like you do. You know all of my secrets and I know all of yours."

Bonnie swallowed guiltily, not commenting.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." She said, making Bonnie feel like shit.

She cleared her throat. "It's getting late Emily...I should go."

"Oh... okay then." The slightly older girl sat up. "Goodnight."

Bonnie watched as she hopped out of the truck, slamming the door close and walked up to the door, going inside.

Bonnie put the pickup in reverse and as she drove to her own house, she realized that she didn't want to go home.

The reason for her trip to Richmond was because she was in the process of selling the auto shop. She planned on keeping the house. Not yet ready to let go of the only home she knew. But very soon, she would be leaving Mystic Falls.

The problem was that she didn't know how to tell her childhood best friend, which was why she found herself back at the place where her night first began.

Lucky's bar.

* * *

Bonnie sat at the bar, occupying the same damn stool as before and ordered herself another beer. She was such a creature of habit, even as a child.

Sitting alone and nursing her beer, she couldn't help but think about her confrontation with Emily on the dance floor.

And though what she said was hurtful, she spoke facts.

Up until mere days ago, her life had been on pause. There was no denying it.

Deciding to sell the shop and leave Mystic Falls felt like a step in the right direction. But to truly reclaim her life, Bonnie knew she would have to do much more than that. She would have to conquer her fear.

Six years ago, Tyler Lockwood took away something very precious from her and it left her a shell of her former self.

Bonnie literally felt hollow inside. And that was no way for anyone to live.

She wanted her life back. And being chicken shit as Emily so eloquently put it every time a guy showed interest in her was no way to accomplish that.

So twenty minutes later when Damon Salvatore strolled into Lucky's and had the nerve to sit down right next to her at the bar, she forced herself to be brave and dove straight in. Feet first.

"You want one?" She asked, holding up the beer in her hand.

It totally threw Damon off because he just knew once Bonnie saw him, she'd leave.

So this new development in things was definitely intriguing to him. He decided to play along to see where it went.

"You buying?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I weren't. So yes or no to a beer? Last chance because I won't ask a third time."

"Then yes. I would love for you to buy me a beer." Then he did the oddest thing with his eyes where he widened them.

It was kind of creepy in a way, yet funny at the same time.

Bonnie blinked. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

She pointed at his face with her index finger going side to side indicating his eyes. "That weird thing you just did with your eyes."

"What weird thing did I do?"

She sighed because this was not starting off to her liking. Already there was an awkward break in the conversation.

"Never mind. It's not important...just don't do it again okay."

Damon chuckled, shaking his head a little as if she was the one being strange. He brought the beer to his lips, slightly tilting his head back to drink.

It was quiet for a few moments, but then he broke the silence. "Why are you all of a sudden giving me the time of day? What gives Bon?"

She glared at him. "First of all, you don't know me well enough to call me that. So stop it."

Damon held up his hands. "Okay, I'm sorry."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, her jaw tensing. Maybe testing herself with him was a bad idea. She needed to start with someone less aggravating to her nerves.

"Can you please answer me though Bonnie because I really would like to know."

His tone calmed her and she sighed softly, shaking her head and just came clean.

Fuck it. Things were already heading south anyway.

"I'm trying to get better at doing things that make me uncomfortable."

Damon frowned slightly, not really sure how he was suppose to take that. "And I make you uncomfortable?"

When he wouldn't let up with his staring, Bonnie was the first to break eye contract because after a while it became too unsettling. And it made her not like him even more because his eyes had a way of making her feel self-conscious.

"Yeah, you do...it's like every time we're in the same place I always catch you staring at me. And even then you won't stop doing it. Normally, when people get caught staring, they get embarrassed and quickly look away...you don't. Ever. It's a very bold thing to do which makes me wonder what else you'd be capable of doing that I wouldn't like."

It was like a light bulb went on inside of Damon's head and he got it. "So that's why you shut me down at every turn or just flat out ignore me like I'm not there?"

She shrugged without a care. "I don't respond well to that type of behavior. All kinds of warning bells sound off inside my head, so I keep my distance. Better safe than sorry. I learned that lesson the hard way. And I won't make that mistake again."

Bonnie suddenly slide off the stool, standing up.

A stab of disappointment hit Damon when he realized she was about to leave.

"I gotta pee." She announced and then snatched up her purse before walking away from the bar.

A tiny smile crept onto Damon's lips as he stared after her.

Having grown up in Washington D..C. and been immersed around politics his entire life, Damon wasn't used to people being so unabashedly open and honest.

It was refreshing.

But then Bonnie's words replayed in his mind and he started to frown slightly.

She said she didn't like his boldness. That it spoke to other things that he might be capable of doing that she wouldn't like. What did she mean by that?

It was perplexing.

Bonnie came back a few minutes later and sat down. She picked up her beer about to take a swallow but then stopped, thinking better of it.

She then held the bottle out to the bartender. Giving zero fucks about Damon's feelings or what he thought.

"Hey Chuy, can you get rid of this please and give me a fresh beer?"

The Latino bartender grab the beer bottle and chucked it into the trashcan and then opened a new bottle, setting it down in front of Bonnie.

Damon had a younger sister. Her name was Stefanie and she was in her junior year of college, so Bonnie's actions didn't offend him. He just prayed his baby sis was being just as cautious.

Damon was just about to pick up with where they left off in their conversation, but Bonnie spoke first.

"So how are you liking Mystic Falls so far? You ready to quit this boring ass town and hightail it back to D.C. where all the action is?"

Surprise registered on Damon's face that she knew where he was from.

Bonnie tisked him, shaking her head. "This is a very small town Damon...people talk. We're some gossiping folks around these here parts... so you better get used to it if you plan on staying."

Damon chucked with amusement because when she said _these here parts_ it was said with an exaggerated country twang.

"I'm not kidding. That's real talk." She said seriously.

"Well to answer your question, I really like it here."

Bonnie side-eyed him. "You're shitting me, right?"

Damon raised his hand. "I swear my right hand to God I'm not lying...I really do like it."

She snorted. "If you say so."

Damon stared at Bonnie perplexed because Tyler had the same reaction when he told him he was moving to Mystic Falls to start his own law practice.

"You're doing it again." She told him, and he could hear the annoyance in her voice.

"Doing what?"

"Staring at me."

Damon shook his head as if to clear his mind. "I wasn't staring at you...I mean I was, but I was thinking about something else."

Her brows rose with interest. "Oh yeah... I do that sometimes too. Be in my head. My best friend Emily hates when I do that though because she'll think I'm paying attention to what she's saying because I'm looking dead at her but in reality I haven't heard a thing she said."

She took a sip of beer. "So what were you thinking about just now?"

Something came over Damon in that moment and he realized that he seriously liked Bonnie.

Like seriously. Seriously.

The kind of like where he wanted to spend time getting to know everything about her.

She was literally the perfect girl. Beautiful. Into sports. Knew how to fix a car. Liked to kick back and drink beer.

Girlfriend material.

Now that Bonnie knew when Damon was staring so hard that he wasn't necessary staring at her but in his head, it no longer freaked her out.

So when he was doing it now, she clapped her hands in front of his face. "Snap out of it!"

He blinked.

"I asked you a question."

"Oh sorry. No, I was just thinking that you had the same reaction as my buddy did when I told him I was moving to Mystic Falls. He grew up here too. You probably know him. "

"Oh yeah, what's his name?"

"Tyler Lockwood."

Bonnie's eyes widened in horror. She literally looked stricken. It was like no matter how hard she tried, she would never get away from him. He infiltrated every aspect of her life, no matter how tiny.

All she could do was stare at Damon. But she wasn't really looking at him. She was in her head, thinking no matter what she did in her life, Tyler Lockwood would always be present in some way.

"Bonnie... are you alright?"

She blinked, coming back to herself. "You got me seriously fucked up." And she went to turn away and began gathering up her things. Her hands shaking.

Bonnie was so angry at herself. In that moment, she hated everyone and everything.

Completely ignoring Damon sitting there, she began speaking her thoughts aloud. "Gotdammit! I'm so fucking stupid! When will I learn?!"

She stood up to leave.

"Bonnie, wait a minute! Stop for a second!"

"No, I got to go, this was a mistake! A very bad mistake!"

Damon then made a horrible error in judgment. He grab her arm, pulling her into him. Their two bodies brushing together briefly.

Bonnie fucking lost it then and began to struggle, literally fighting to get free.

But Damon refused to let go of her. He just wanted to understand what happened. They were finally getting along, but then Bonnie just snapped on him and he wanted to know why.

"Bonnie, stop it! Calm down and listen to me for a second, I'm not going to hurt you!" Damon didn't know why he said that last part, but something inside of him felt like she needed to hear it.

But Bonnie wasn't thinking rationally.

All she knew was that he was holding her against her will and his body was too close to hers. He towered over her and his grip was strong.

If he wanted to he could hold her down and rape her just like Tyler did.

At the thought, Bonnie let out this primal scream that came from deep within her, and she clawed her nails down the side of Damon's face.

He let go of her in shock.

"Don't touch me! Don't ever fucking touch me! You're just like him!" She screamed before running out of the bar.

Damon just stood there. He couldn't move.

It wouldn't be until much later on that night while laying in bed, unable to sleep that Damon realized Bonnie only freaked out on him after he mentioned Tyler's name.


	4. Chapter 4

For someone like Bonnie who loved to ride motorcycles, the back country roads of Mystic Falls were the absolute best.

With nothing but a long stretch of road in front of her, she could literally leave everything behind and just go.

Sometimes, like now, when going at top speed, it felt like she was flying as the bike and her body pierced through the air with the wind hitting her face, arms and legs.

She felt free from every chain holding her captive as the adrenaline pumped through her veins causing her heart to race.

Bonnie's dad bought the bike when she turned nineteen.

It was a V Star 650 and it fit her perfectly.

At 5'2 and 110 pounds there weren't many options out there in terms of motorcycles for petite women, but she love it.

Even with a helmet on, everyone in town knew it was her whenever she passed through on one of her long rides.

Cars and bikes were all that Bonnie knew which was why she was having second thoughts on selling the auto-shop.

There was still time to pull out of the deal if she wanted to. No final papers had been signed.

The closer Bonnie got to town she realized she might as well stop by the post office and check her P.O. Box, saving herself the trip tomorrow.

So she pulled her bike into one of the empty parking spaces in front of the old brick building not realizing she'd captured the attention of four sets of eyes sitting by a window table at the Grille just across the street.

* * *

Damon, Tyler, Caroline and her best-friend Hayley just so happened to be having lunch together at the Grille.

It was a surprise blind double date that neither Hayley nor Damon were privy to until they showed up at the Grille with a beaming Caroline cheesing from ear to ear and Tyler looking apologetically at them. Clearly having been roped into participating in his wife's harebrained scheme to hook them up.

Caroline loved playing match-maker.

Ironically enough it was Tyler's new bride who made everyone aware of Bonnie's presence across the street having spotted her ride up on her bike.

"I think I want to learn how to ride a motorcycle."

Everyone looked to the pretty blonde, confused by her statement because no one was discussing motorcycles. It was such a random them to say even for Caroline. But then everyone followed her line of vision as she stared out the window and realized why she said it.

Dressed in denim overall shorts with a fitted white tee underneath and black combat boots, Bonnie Bennett slid off her bike.

She stood there a few seconds, taking off her helmet to reveal a cute bouncy ponytail.

Nothing about her outfit was risque in the least. But there was something sexy about that girl next door, tomboy look that Bonnie had going on. That was all hers and hers alone.

No one else could pull off the look and make it seem so effortless. Like she wasn't even trying to stand out but just did.

Caroline just loved what Bonnie was wearing. She wanted some cute little romper overall shorts too, but instead of a fitted tee shirt she'd pair hers with a long sleeve crop top to show off her flat stomach. And instead of black combat boots, she'd wear red cowboy boots with maybe a matching red bandanna tied around her neck.

Yeah, she could totally see herself rocking that outfit, she thought as she stared across the street at Bonnie.

Her husband on the other hand was thinking more salacious thoughts in his head.

Like imaging what those gorgeous toned brown legs would feel like wrapped around his waist.

To this day, Tyler could still remember the feel of Bonnie's trembling body trapped underneath his _as he forced himself inside of her_ on the cold hard ground. And the touch of her slender soft hands pressed firmly against his chest. _Trying to push him off of her._

She was a virgin when he took her that night. So young and tender. Her pussy so sweet. So tight.

No other encounter he had since then compared to that night with her. It was unforgettable.

As for Damon, he stared at Bonnie just as hard as Tyler, but not as fanciful as Caroline. The expression on his face somewhat pensive.

He didn't know she rode a motorcycle. Though he shouldn't have been surprised by the fact.

She was so unlike any other girl he'd ever known. An anomaly in every way. Dismissive and cold at first glance, but when she opened up and allowed you access, she was so engaging and personable.

But upon discovery, Damon found out that underneath it all she was scared and wounded in a way.

"Oh please. You on a motorcycle? You'd break every bone in your body!" Hayley laughed, bringing everyone's attention to her.

Hayley was a stunning brunette with huge blue eyes that dominated face, but even so Damon wasn't interested in her.

"No I wouldn't. I'd be so badass!"

That got a small chuckle out of Damon. Tyler just rolled his eyes because Caroline was clumsy as hell. She was always hurting herself in some way.

Not even a solid month into their marriage and he was already tired of her.

At least she gave decent head and didn't mind being fucked in the ass. That was something in her favor.

As Caroline carried on in her delusions, Damon glanced back out the window to see Bonnie walk up the steps and then disappear inside of the building.

The foursome continued to laugh and talk not paying attention as minutes later an old beat up pick-up truck parked into the space right next to Bonnie's motorcycle and two Mexican guys got out and they stopped to admire the bike.

Within the last few years, Mystic Falls saw an influx of Mexican-Americans moving into surrounding towns to the displeasure of long time _white_ citizens born and raised there not used to seeing so many people of color roaming around their neck of woods.

It was becoming a problem that the Founding families were definitely aware of.

* * *

Coming out of the post office empty handed, Bonnie froze on the top step not moving a muscle as she watched two guys checking out her bike.

A sense of unease filled her being and she glanced back to the building thinking maybe she should go back inside and wait them out.

But then Bonnie admonished herself for thinking that way.

The guys were just admiring her bike. After all it was a beauty. Literally a work of art. And she kept it clean. Her chrome shining like diamonds. So it drew attention.

Besides, it was broad daylight outside and there were people around.

She told herself to stop being silly. That it was okay. Everything was fine.

Taking a deep breath to collect herself she started to descend the steps.

The taller of the two guys caught the movement out the corner of his eye causing him to glance up.

And seeing this pretty little thing coming his way he did what any guy would do. He nudged his buddy's arm to get his attention, saying something to him in Spanish that Bonnie didn't understand. And he looked up at her as well.

The smile that appeared on Bonnie's face was tight. Clearly forced as she showed all of her teeth, determined not to be chicken shit.

* * *

Back inside of the Grille, Matt had a few moments to spare so he came over to the table to say hello to his friends.

His family owned the restaurant and Matt worked there full time as the manager.

"I trust everything's good over here." He greeted with a smile.

Tyler piped up being a dick. "On the contrary. The service was horrible. I found a hair in my sandwich. And the beer was flat."

"Tyler stop!" Caroline chuckled in amusement, hitting his arm. "He's kidding Matt, everything was perfect!"

"Thank you Caroline, I'm glad someone..." Matt's voice trailed off when he happened to glance up at the window and frowned, not liking what he saw.

Seeing his reaction made everyone at the table concerned. "Matt, you okay what's wrong?"

He pointed across the street, everyone turning their heads to see.

Granted, Damon hadn't known Bonnie that long, but he could tell by the stiffness of her posture that she was very uncomfortable by those two men standing next to her bike.

And if he were to be honest, so was he.

"I'm just gonna go make sure everything's okay." He said getting up from the table, surprising everyone.

Especially Tyler who wondered what the hell Damon was up to in town while he and Caroline were away on their honeymoon back- packing around Europe for four weeks.

"I'll go with you." Matt said because he'd known Bonnie Bennett his whole life. And with her father gone, she needed someone to watch out for her.

Tyler went to stand up to go with them, but Caroline placed her hand on his arm to stop him. "Tyler no, don't. Let Matt and Damon handle it. Please."

* * *

Across the street, Bonnie quickly realized she should have gone with her first instinct and went back inside of the post office. She tried not to panic.

"How about you and I go for a little ride on your bike?" Asked the shorter guy who favored a young Esai Morales.

"No. So if you'll excuse me, I have to get going now." Bonnie said, waiting for them to move out her way.

They didn't.

"Come on, just a short ride around the block. It'll take two seconds." He persisted in his Spanish accent.

Just then Damon walked up pushing the guy away from Bonnie. "Didn't you hear her? Because I sure did. She said no, buddy."

The guy stumbled backwards because Damon pushed him kinda hard, but he didn't fall down. "Hey bro, don't put your hands on me. All I was doing was trying to talk to the pretty young lady. Last I checked, that wasn't a crime."

Damon shrugged, pulling a face. "Well, she's not interested. So get back into your truck and leave."

The younger guy looked confused by what was happening. He didn't understand why Damon was there.

"Why are you interfering with me, she's not even one of your women? She's black."

Before the thought could even reach Damon's brain, his fist threw a sucker punch to the guy's face.

He hit the ground, but wasn't down for long. Jumping right back up with surprising agility. He tackled Damon to the ground like a football player and proceeded to well on him.

But Damon did some type of ultimate fighter wrestling move where he used his legs to peal the guy off of him. And then Damon began to well on him. Returning every jab with maximum force and breaking skin, causing him to bleed.

While that was happening, the much taller guy that Matt had been checking went to swing on him but Matt got him in the gut real good, making him double over grabbing his stomach. Matt then kneed him in the face, knocking his ass out for the count and it was over like that.

Seeing that Damon wasn't going to let up on his guy, Matt quickly rushed over and tried to pull him off.

* * *

The Sheriff's department showed up minutes later with Deputy Rick Grimes jumping out of his car.

He ran over to the fighting men and he tried unsuccessfully to help Matt pull Damon off the other man.

"Salvatore, let him go! I got it!" The deputy hollered.

But Damon was in some sort of zone.

"Got dammit Salvatore, if you don't let go of him I'm going to have to arrest you!"

Even with two men on his back trying to pull him away, Damon's two hands remained locked around the guy's neck.

Until finally Bonnie screamed, "Damon stop!"

And it was as if the sound of Bonnie's voice freed Damon from some sort of spell because he released him.

Two more sheriff's cars pulled up to the scene and by now there was a large crowd of people standing around watching.

When they pulled Damon off the guy and Deputy Grimes got a good look at him, he shook his head.

"Call the ambulance. This guy needs to get to a hospital fast." He then turned to Damon. "I'm sorry son, but I'm going to have to arrest you."

"Wait, what?" Matt asked incredulously. "You can't do that!"

"Be quiet Matthew and let me do my job." Deputy Grimes said, pulling out his handcuffs.

He told Damon to put his hands behind his back.

Damon silently did what he was told while everyone in town watched as he was handcuffed and read his Miranda Rights before being placed in the back of the squad car.

As the car drove off his only glance was at Bonnie who stood by herself staring back at him with tears shining in her eyes.

* * *

It took most of the day, but by eight o'clock that night, Damon was a free man again... at least until his court date in a few weeks.

Tyler's father pulled some strings to get him out.

He was immediately given back his possessions.

Silently Damon placed his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans.

As he walked towards the front entrance of the Sheriff's office putting his watch back on, he stopped when he saw Bonnie sitting in the waiting area.

She stood up when she saw him.

Swallowing hard as Damon walked towards her, Bonnie forced herself to hold his steely glare.

When he stood in front of her, she had to make herself speak to him.

"I just wanted to say thank you because I didn't get a chance to do so after... everything." The way he was looking at her made Bonnie nervous and she stumbled over her words. "I-I don't know if anyone told you, but that guy's in stable condition. He's going to be alright." She said licking her dry lips.

"Are you done?" He asked.

Bonnie slowly nodded her head.

"Good. Because from now on I want you to stay the FUCK away from me...you hear me Bonnie Bennett? STAY AWAY!"

And then he walked away, leaving her standing there.

Bonnie's body slightly trembled from all the emotions from that day and a tear slipped down her face, but she quickly wiped it away and went after him.

She literally had to jog in order to catch up with him because he was walking so fast.

"I know you're not blaming me for what happened today! Because no one told you to beat the shit out of that guy! I didn't even ask for your help!"

Damon turned around with such abruptness that Bonnie took a step back at the fury in his eyes.

But he didn't care, moving even closer to her. Getting in her face.

"You didn't need to ask Bonnie...I saw you in trouble and I reacted! I don't even know why I did it...all I knew was that I couldn't just sit there and do nothing! And now because of you, I might get disbarred!" He yelled at her.

Bonnie gasped. "What? Why?"

"It's called moral turpitude Bonnie and if I'm convicted of aggravated assault which is a felony in the state of Virginia, I can't practice law anymore!"

"Oh god Damon, I'm so sorry." She said reaching out to touch his arm. Not realizing she was initiating physical contact with a man without any fear.

He angrily jerked away from her. "Don't touch me!"

Bonnie froze, swallowing hard. "I never meant for any of this to happen, I swear." Her eyes welling up with tears because she was truly sorry.

"Don't you dare cry! You've been nothing but a hard-ass since day one so don't start acting like some weak, helpless female now!"

"Who are you to tell me that?! You don't know me! Or what I'm like! I have feelings and emotions just like everyone else! It's called being human and if I want to cry then I'll fucking cry!" She yelled back.

"But that's the thing Bonnie, you're not human! Because to be human means to need other people and you don't need anyone! You're Ms. Independent! What use do you have for a man when you can do it your damn self! Right?

Bonnie didn't respond. She just stood there.

Damon couldn't stand her silence. It was the one thing he didn't like about her.

He wanted her to fight back. To stand her ground with him. Anything but just stand there looking vulnerable. So he got nasty, being crude.

"You probably even fuck yourself, don't you Bon?"

That did it.

She slapped his face.

Damon rubbed his stinging red cheek. "I see I hit a sore spot."

"Go to hell!" Bonnie yelled in anger, turning away to leave.

But Damon wasn't having it. He wasn't going to let her just storm off with the last word.

So reaching out, he pulled her against him. "I'll drag you with me."

And then he kissed her.


	5. Chapter 5

From the time he was a little boy up until now as a grown man, Damon Salvatore loved a challenge.

He thrived on them, whether it was in his career or his personal life.

In terms of his career, striking out on his own to start his own law firm was by far the biggest challenge of his life.

What made it worse was that he was doing it in a small town where practically no one knew him, so his connections were limited. He had to build a clientele from scratch.

Had he decided to do this in D.C., he would have had a better shot at succeeding. No doubt about it.

But again, Damon liked a good challenge. He loved testing himself.

It was the same in his personal life as well.

Damon took after his father in every way, from his handsome looks to his love for beautiful women.

But unlike Giuseppe Salvatore, there was a caveat to Damon's attraction to a woman.

There had to be an addition to her beauty. She had to be more than just a pretty face.

Every woman he dated was a knock-out, but there was always something else about her that made her stand apart from the rest.

With Bonnie, it was no different...at first. Of course, the attraction was immediate.

Her face and the way she filled out those cut-off shorts captured Damon's attention.

But what sparked his interest was seeing her race twenty guys on a dirt bike and win.

The challenge came later on when Damon realized that Bonnie didn't like him to tough.

Now that Damon was a Mystic Falls resident and living on the same side of town as her, the two of them were constantly running into each other.

Whether it was at Mai's diner, Patty's store or the gas station they saw each other at least a few times a week.

And each time Bonnie would go out of her way to avoid him.

It was such a blow to Damon's ego because shit like that NEVER happened to him.

He was so used to women falling all over themselves to gain his attention and this little slip of a girl was doing everything she could to not be anywhere near him.

It was the damnest thing!

After a while it began to irk Damon, getting underneath his skin and as a side-effect to that he became provoking towards her. Intentionally inserting himself in her space some type of way and forcing her to acknowledge him.

It was such a petty thing to do. But that was Damon.

At any rate though, it didn't work. Instead of avoiding him, now Bonnie just ignored him.

* * *

But she damn sure wasn't ignoring him now with their two mouths clued together.

That impulsive, reckless side of Damon reared its ugly head yet again and without thinking he grabbed Bonnie and kissed her.

What was fucking him up was that she had yet to push him away...because he fully expected her to do so any second.

Instead she was just standing there allowing him liberties he never thought he'd have with her.

But that didn't make him stop as his mouth continued to learn the texture of hers.

It was only when it became paramount for them both to breathe that he ended the kiss, and he hated doing so because her mouth was sweet. Her lips soft.

Being the first one to open their eyes, he got the chance to see hers flutter open and they stared at each other, neither of them speaking.

No longer angry with her, Damon reached up to touch Bonnie's face and that's when she took a step back. Reality hitting hard of what she allowed to happen.

But this time, she couldn't run away because he was still holding her arm.

"Let go of me."

Damon's eyes lowered to find his hand still gently gripping her. He released her arm, his gaze once again searching her face and finding confusion there.

"You shouldn't have done that."

Damon ran his left hand through his hair, looking just as confused by what just happened. "You're right...I'm sorry."

Bonnie searched his eyes, not believing him. "No you're not."

Not waiting for him to deny it, she walked away.

Damon couldn't take his eyes off of her if he wanted to, watching as she got inside of her truck and pulled off.

He stood there a few moments, gathering himself. So much happened that day that his mind was trying to play catch up.

A shiny black Camaro pulled up in front on Damon.

It was Tyler.

Opening the passenger side door, Damon slid inside shutting the door. "Thanks man for coming to get me because I did not feel like walking." He said, buckling his seat beat.

Tyler pulled off, leaning back in the driver's seat, with one hand on the wheel. "Why.. your booty hole hurting? You messed up and dropped the soap?"

Damon laughed at the jail reference joke. "Fuck you."

Tyler shook his head coming to a stop at the red light. "Nah, never that. I like pussy."

"No you _are_ a pussy." Damon retorted.

Unfazed by the jab, Tyler responded in kind. "What's that saying, you are what you eat?"

They laughed..

Damon needed that light heartiness after the day he had. Leaning his head back against the leather seat and closing his eyes becoming quiet.

Tyler glanced at him after a moment. "Seriously though man, you okay?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Damon sighed. "Physically yes... mentally no. I really fucked up this time. If I lose my license, I don't know what I'm going to do. And then there's my parents. My father is going to lose his shit when he finds out. I'm screwed."

"No you're not." Tyler said simply like he knew something Damon didn't.

"What do you mean? Tyler, I assaulted someone and if I'm convicted it's a done deal. It's over for me."

"Not if the person you assaulted was in the United States illegally and is currently in the process of being deported back to fucking Mexico were he belongs!"

Tyler laughed at the startled, shocked expression on Damon's face.

"That's right my man, you're in the fucking clear! You good baby...you good!"

Damon couldn't believe his luck. He sat in that jail cell for hours thinking about how he just ruined his life and like that, it was over. This entire ordeal was over.

A sense of relief filled him and he laughed joyously along with Tyler. "Oh my god, I don't fucking believe it!"

"Welcome to Trump country...we're making America great again and I love it!"

It was as if someone had doused a bucket of cold ice water on top of Damon's head.

Hell, he damn near expected Tyler to do a Hi Ho Hitler salute because that's how indoctrinated he sounded, like some white nationalist.

Damon was stunned, never having heard Tyler speak like that before.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Damon asked incredulously, looking at Tyler like he lost his mind.

"What? I love my country. What's so wrong with that?"

"Absolutely nothing. But there's a vast difference between patriotism and nationalism. And a second ago you sounded like some white supremacist carrying a torch about to burn a cross in someone's yard."

Tyler laughed it off, finding what Damon said to be ridiculous.

Damon glanced out the window, letting the subject drop. But he knew what he heard.

Silence filled the car, but after a while Tyler needed some answers as to what was going on between Damon and Bonnie, so he just came right out and asked in his dick move way.

"So you fucking Bonnie Bennett?"

The way he said it made Damon cringe inside.

It also made him think about the crude things he said to Bonnie and he felt bad about it. His behavior was inexcusable.

He crossed the line.

"No, I'm not fucking her." He responded with his jaw tightening.

"But you want to right...I mean that's why you ran to her rescue and got yourself locked up?" Tyler probed further, gripping the wheel.

Damon found himself getting very agitated by Tyler and it was evident in his voice. "No, that's not why I did it, you fucking asshole! Jeez just shut the hell up already and drive."

Tyler grew silent in thought and drove.

Damon stared straight ahead, his face taut with renewed anger.

* * *

The next few days found Bonnie busier than ever at the shop and she welcomed the distraction that way she didn't have to think about Damon Salvatore and that kiss.

Everything that happened that day was still so confusing to her.

Other than her father, Bonnie never had anyone stand up for her before. And for him to be a friend of Tyler's, she didn't know how to take it.

But being raised the way she was, Bonnie had to thank him for what he did.

So when she called up to the Sheriff's office to inquire about Damon and found out that he was being released that night, she drove back into town and waited for him. Just wanting to get it over with so she could move on and forget about the whole thing.

But that wasn't to be because Damon copped a funking attitude with her and Bonnie wasn't having it. The nerve of him blaming her for what happened! It was unbelievable because none of that was her fault.

Then she found out that he could possibly lose his license if he got convicted of the assault and that made her feel bad for him. And after that, everything just went left and then out of nowhere, he kissed her. It was the last thing she expected to happen. And yet it did.

Mores surprisingly though was the fact that she didn't do anything about it.

Sure, at first she was caught off guard but after that why didn't she push him away? Slap his face? Do anything but just stand there and let him kiss her. Bonnie was confused.

When that Friday rolled around, Bonnie managed to talk Emily out of going to Lucky's because she didn't want to risk running into Damon. She hadn't seen him since the kiss and was hoping to keep the momentum going for as long as possible.

So instead, Emily and her two young boys came over to Bonnie's house to make some nachos for dinner and watch a Disney movie on Netflix.

An hour into their night, Emily popped open a beer to calm her nerves because Chance and Carter were fucking lit to deaf after eating the brownies Bonnie made. Sugar was a drug. Emily was convinced of it because before having the brownies her boys were behaving fine. Now they were bouncing off the walls.

"I ought to kick your ass Bonnie. I told you not to give them those fucking brownies!"

Bonnie laughed. "They'll calm down once they have dinner." She stood by the stove, cooking the ground turkey.

Emily leaned over the counter, rearranging the lemons in the bowl, wishing she was at Lucky's right now.

Seeing the pout on her best friend's face, Bonnie knew exactly what she was thinking. And in response, she turned on some music.

"There you go Em...some music for you to shake your ass to and get krump."

She rolled her eyes, still salty because she let Bonnie talk her into staying in tonight.

Emily loved her boys to death but Friday and Saturday were her nights to have a little fun while her kids spent time at Nana and Papa's house. She worked too damn hard during the week not to deserve some time for herself.

Realizing that Emily wasn't going to lighten up, Bonnie turned off the music. "You know what, just go to Lucky's and I'll watch Chancey and Carter. They can even spend the night and you can pick them up tomorrow."

The smile Bonnie had been waiting to appear moments before suddenly surfaced on Emily's pretty caramel face. "Oh god, thank you Bonnie! I love you, I love you, I love you so much!" She squealed happily hugging her neck.

Bonnie patted her back, smiling softly. "I love you too. Now go. Have fun and be safe."

Not needing to be told twice, Emily dashed out of the kitchen and kissed her boys goodnight while they played nosily in the living room. She told them to be good for Bonnie while she was gone.

Then she grabbed her purse and was out the door in no time flat.

Bonnie came out the kitchen to lock up the house.

"Alright guys, dinner will be ready in a few minutes, so go into the bathroom and wash your hands okay."

"Okay Aunt Bonnie." The boys said simultaneously, Carter six and Chance four dropping their toys on the floor to run to the bathroom.

"And don't play in the sink! Wash and dry your hands, turn off the water and come straight back!" She yelled loud enough for them to hear her. "And no fighting...I mean it!"

"Okay!" They yelled back, making Bonnie smile.

Those two little precious boys may not have been her children, but she loved them like they were.

* * *

As Bonnie predicted once the boys had food in their bellies, they calmed down enough to watch the movie.

When it was over, she made them both use the bathroom before tucking them into bed in the guest room.

They were knocked out by ten o'clock.

Bonnie got busy cleaning up the mess they made of her home, not minding one bit because having them there made her feel not so alone.

Around midnight, Bonnie decided to turn in herself and took a long hot shower before getting ready for bed.

Just when she was about to lay down she received a text from Emily stating she'd spend the night as well, promising to make a big breakfast for everyone in the morning.

Bonnie knew that was Emily's way of saying she was sorry for bailing on their night.

She smile to herself, placing the phone back on the dresser

Deciding not to wait up because there was no telling when Emily would return, Bonnie went to bed.

* * *

That Sunday everyone at Temple Grove Baptist Church where in for a surprise when Damon Salvatore showed up to morning service.

It wasn't exactly hard to miss him considering he was the only white person in a sea of black faces sitting in the church pews.

Bonnie sat up in the choir section along with Emily and they whispered furiously back and forth wondering what he was doing there.

What the two young women didn't know was that Emily's father, Jonas Martin, who was the pastor of the church sought some legal advice from Damon earlier in the week and liked him so much that he invited him to Sunday service and there Damon was on time, dressed in a suit and tie.

Service got underway and things went smoothly like normal, Bonnie making it a point not to look anywhere near Damon's vicinity.

When Pastor Martin entered the pulpit, she sighed in relief because now she could focus all of attention on the message and stop worrying about Damon Salvatore sitting in the congregation staring at her.

And she knew he was staring because Emily kept whispering in her ear damn near every two seconds that he was.

It was protocol for the choir to give one last selection before the sermon, but today of all days Pastor Martin made a request wanting to hear a specific song.

"Sister Beavers, if it would be alright, I would love to hear Alabaster Box this morning. We haven't heard it in a while." He smiled at her."

Sitting at the piano, the older woman nodded her head.

Everyone who was a member of the church knew Bonnie Bennett sang that song. It was a solo performance, meaning she had to sing without the choir and she hated doing so.

But it was what Pastor wanted, so she stood up and came down from the choir section to stand up front a few feet from where Pastor Martin sat in his chair behind the pulpit.

Deacon McKee handed her the microphone and Bonnie waited for Sister Beavers to play the piano.

Closing her eyes, she took a few moments to center herself and when she opened them back up, Bonnie sang for the Lord and no one else.

* * *

Never having set foot inside of a black baptist church, Damon felt completely out of his element.

But he was there because Mr. Martin so graciously invited him, so he couldn't say no.

He had no idea that the church he was going to was Bonnie's church. Hell, he didn't even know that she even went to church let along sang in the choir.

In any case, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Especially when she started to sing.

She had a beautiful voice and as she sang people began to stand up, holding their hands up in worship.

Of course Damon didn't know that's what they were doing. All he knew was that he could no longer see Bonnie so he stood up as well.

Damon couldn't explain the strange feeling stirring up inside of him while listening to Bonnie sing, but something was happening to him.

But all too soon, the song came to an end and Bonnie gave the microphone back to Deacon McKee as the church clapped for her.

Damon watched as Jonas Martin embraced Bonnie in his arms, giving her a fatherly hug before letting her go back to her seat in the choir section.

"Everyone give her another round of applause. I tell you, every time she sings that song, it stirs my spirit!"

"Amen!" A few people in the congregation agreed aloud.

Damon wondered if that was what was happening to him. Did hearing Bonnie sing stir his spirit? He wasn't sure.

The rest of the service went on for another hour and by one thirty it was over as people began to slowly file out of the church.

Damon went up to speak to Pastor Martin, shaking his hand. "I really enjoyed the service, thank you for inviting me."

Jonas Martin smiled warmly. "You're more than welcome son..."

Emily and Bonnie tried to sneak passed them unnoticed but her father saw them. "Emily, Bonnie come here for a moment please. There's someone I want you to meet."

The girls gave each other a look, but did as they were told walking over.

"Damon, this here is my daughter Emily and her best friend Bonnie. Girls, this is Damon Salvatore. He just moved to town a couple of months ago."

Emily turned to Bonnie, giving her that look again. Both of them not sure how to proceed. Should they confess to knowing Damon already? Or pretend like they never met him?

But there was no need to sweat it because Damon took control of the situation. "It's very nice to meet you Emily."

She smiled in relief. "Likewise. Did you enjoy the service?" She asked.

"Yes I did. Very much so. Thank you."

Then he turned to Bonnie. "Hello Ms. Bennett, it's nice to see you again."

Bonnie's eyes bucked at Damon in disbelief. So he was going to stand there and pretend like he didn't know Emily, but completely throw her under the bus in front of Pastor Martin? The nerve!

"You two know each other?" The pastor asked surprised.

Before Bonnie could answer and add some context to that, Damon's spoke up. "Well, yes sir we sure do..."

Bonnie glanced at Emily with worried eyes not sure what was about to come out of Damon's mouth.

"...she fixed my car a while back. Got it running like new."

Jonas Martin beamed like a proud father as though Bonnie was his daughter too. "I'm sure it is. She's the best. Her daddy would be very proud."

Damon's eyes cut back to Bonnie but she avoid his gaze.

Just then one of the ushers interrupted them. "Pastor everyone's waiting for you to bless the food in the fellowship hall."

There was to be a second service that afternoon, so the church was providing dinner for everyone.

"Thank you Evelyn, I'm coming." Pastor Martin then turned back to his invited guest. "Damon I hope you'll stay and fellowship with us. There's some mighty fine cooks among my congregation, including these two..." Speaking of Emily and Bonnie. "Emmy made the potato salad and Bonnie made a cabbage casserole and some banana pudding."

"How could I say no to that, I would love to stay."

"Good, good, good." The pastor smiled, giving Damon a slight pat of approval on his back. "Well, if you'll excuse me now, I have to go and bless the food. I got some hungry people on my hands!" He chuckled.

Once Pastor Martin was gone, Bonnie proceeded to ignore Damon like he wasn't standing there.

She hugged Emily goodbye. "I'll see you later, I have to get going."

"Wait, what? You're leaving Bonnie?" Damon asked because the only reason why he was staying was because of her. He wanted to clear the air between them.

Acting like she didn't hear him, Bonnie turned to leave, unzipping her choir robe as she walked quickly down the isle of the church heading for the front entrance.

With just the two of them standing there, Emily looked up at Damon feeling bad for him. She knew about the kiss and how Bonnie was avoiding him at all costs.

She decided to throw him a bone and explain.

"Relax, she's not leaving because of you. She has to be somewhere at three o'clock."

Now that Bonnie was gone, Damon wanted to leave as well. But he couldn't. Not now.

"Follow me, I'll show you to the fellowship hall. You can have a quick bite to eat and then jet, saving face with my father."

Damon gave her a sheepish look. "Thanks Emily."

When they got there, Emily made Damon a plate making sure to give him some of Bonnie's cabbage casserole and banana pudding.

He ate it all.

* * *

The rest of Damon's Sunday was spent hanging with the guys at Tyler's place, drinking beer and watching baseball in his man cave. It was great because they could be as rowdy as they wanted to without disturbing Caroline and her friends who were upstairs drinking white wine and getting lowkey drunk while gossiping.

Somehow while watching the game, the conversation turned and all of a sudden they were discussing Damon's love life or rather lack thereof. And he found himself defending why he wasn't interested in Hayley.

"Come on man, you got to be kidding me...she's smoking hot though!" Tyler's other friend, Jeremy exclaimed. Matt wasn't there, he had to work.

"Look, I didn't say she wasn't. I think she's a very beautiful girl...I'm just not into her like that. Case closed." He said, wishing they'd talk about something else.

Tyler stood behind the bar, pouring himself a glass of Scot, a couple of drinks away from being plastered.

But even so, he was sober enough to know Damon wasn't into Hayley because he had his eye on Bonnie. His Bonnie.

And he needed to put a stop to it now.

So he came out from behind the bar and took his seat, pretending to watch the game.

During a commercial break, he brought the subject up again. "Look Damon, no one is saying that you have to marry her. Just take her out on a few dates and get to know her better. And maybe you'll change your mind. Hayley's a really great girl."

Damon was so over this topic of conversation and just wanted it to end already and then he suddenly thought of something.

"Tyler, didn't you say that Matt and Hayley used to date?" .

"Yeah, a few years back. But they decided they were better off as friends. Why, what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well Matt and I have become friends. Dating Hayley would be breaking the bro-code. And that's just something I don't do." It was total bullshit, but Damon was willing to say anything at that point to drop the discussion and move on to something else.

The game came back on and the men watched for a while.

During the 9th inning, Jeremy got up to use the bathroom and Tyler took the opportunity to tell Damon about he and Bonnie.

"Look, I know the real reason why you're not into Hayley is because your interested in Bonnie. Which is why I think you should know that she and I had a thing a few years back...we fucked. In fact, I was her first."

So many thoughts ran through Damon's mind as he sat there in silence, trying to digest Tyler's words.

"I didn't want to keep that from you, man because I value our friendship."

Damon lifted his beer to his mouth and drank.

Jeremy came back from the bathroom and they finished watching the game.

Damon didn't say shit for the rest of the evening, he just drank.

When the night was over before leaving Damon just had to ask what was on his mind. "So what happened between you and her...why did it end?"

The lies just flowed effortlessly from Tyler's mouth, making what he said believable.

"You know how it is with girls when they lose their virginity to a guy. They instantly fall in love and Bonnie was no different. But at the time, she was too young for me. I never should have fucked her, but she begged me to. So I did. Afterward, she became really clingy, wanting a relationship with me but I told her no and she took it pretty hard."

And then Tyler ended his tale of lies with this. "I think she's still in love with me."


End file.
